Chris Markwood joined Bill Coen's staff before the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach and helped lead the Huskies to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 24 years. Markwood was promoted to associate head coach before the 2018-19 season and serves as the recruiting coordinator, practice/gameday planning, skill development, academic monitoring and student-athlete mentorship. He was named by his peers as the top assistant in the CAA in the summer of 2020.
Some of Markwood's new responsibilities is working with the front court players, while also overseeing assistant coaches and managers. Since his arrival, the Huskies have made two NCAA tournament appearances, made four CAA title games, including three straight (2018, '19, '20), are a league-best 11-4 in the CAA tournament, and won a pair of CAA regular-season championships.
Prior to working with the front court, Markwood spent time coaching the perimeter players at Northeastern. Markwood was instrumental in bringing guard transfers Jordan Roland and Vasa Pusica to Northeastern as both went on to have record-setting seasons. Roland was named New England Player of the Year in 2020 after finishing No. 7 in the country with 722 points, winning the CAA scoring title (21.9) and earning All-CAA accolades for the second straight year. Pusica and Roland helped lead the Huskies to the 2019 NCAA tournament as Pusica was named the CAA tournament's most outstanding player, and finished as a two-time All-CAA first team honoree, the first since the Dallas Maverick's J.J. Barea (2013-16).
Under his tutelage, eight players have earned All-CAA honors, and T.J. Williams garnered honorable mention All-American honors after being named CAA Player of the Year in 2017. Since Markwood's arrival in 2014-15, three Huskies have won CAA scoring titles, including Roland in 2020 (21.9), Williams in 2017 (21.4) and David Walker in 2016 (17.9). The Huskies have ranked among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage, finishing No. 9 in 2015 (.486), No. 24 in 2018 (.484), No. 30 in 2019 (.476) and No. 18 (.475) in 2020.
Markwood coached Tomas Murphy to All-Rookie honors in 2018, and Bolden Brace was named as the inaugural CAA Sixth Man of the Year that same season. Shawn Occeus earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, while Scott Eatherton (2015) and Devon Begley (2017) were named to the CAA All-Defensive Team.
Prior to Northeastern, Markwood spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Vermont, where he helped lead the Catamounts to three straight postseason appearances, including an NCAA tournament berth in 2012 and an NIT invitation in 2014. UVM won more than 20 games in each of Markwood’s three seasons on staff and appeared in the America East title game twice, winning the championship in 2012. In Burlington, Markwood worked with the Catamounts’ perimeter players and assisted in all areas of the program, including recruiting, scouting, and player development. He aided in the recruitment and development of players who earned America East First Team, All-Defensive Team, and All-Rookie Team honors.
Prior to arriving on the Lake Champlain shores, Markwood served as an assistant coach for five seasons at his alma mater, the University of Maine. In Orono, he worked with the perimeter players and helped develop four America East all-conference selections and two all-rookie picks.
As a player, Markwood enjoyed a standout prep career at South Portland High School in Maine, where he scored more than 1,000 career points and was named the 2000 Maine Gatorade Player of the Year. He was highly recruited out of high school and began his college career as a student-athlete at Notre Dame, before transferring to Maine for his final two seasons of eligibility.
The Fighting Irish won 20 or more games in each of Markwood’s seasons in South Bend, highlighted by a stretch in 2002 during which the Irish knocked off three top-10 teams in the span of one week. Markwood then helped lead Maine to 20 wins in his first season as a player in Orono. The fiery guard capped his senior campaign by burying a 3-pointer with three seconds left to lift the Black Bears to a 46-45 upset victory over Boston University in the 2005 America East tournament quarterfinals. A two-year starter, he appeared in 45 games for the Black Bears, averaging 6.7 points and 3.0 assists per game, and was a team captain during the 2004-05 season.
